Traveling Anywhere
by TigressKama
Summary: Harry, now to old to worry about anything, is really tired of everything. Being the Master of Death isn't all it's cracked up to be. Death is nice enough, but Life's a jerk while Fate's a bitch. When they all get tired of his moping they decide he needs a vacation from the evilness of paperwork and drop him on the nearest planet with a opportunity. Literally. What to do now?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: First Fanfiction so I could use some advice. This is my first time posting my writing anywhere so I'm not sure how this will go out. I obviously have no Beta but there shouldn't be to many spelling mistakes. This story started out as a really messed up dream that sprouted wings and took flight.**

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter nor any other stories mentioned in this belong to me. If they did I wouldn't be posting this here now would I?**_

**Prolouge**

? POV

For the six thousand seven hundred and twenty second time I'm lying on the ground in a pool of my own blood. Not that I really care, as it's my own fault like many other times, but I just can't help feeling like I'm going through the motions. I'm going to come here, meet people and they'll die. Either because of their own stupidity or because of my inaction. Though why I should act in the first place is a complete mystery.

I mean, if you want to create a two-ton mega bomb capable of destoying planets by all means go ahead. Maybe I'll die in the blast, hopefully. Or, if you want to die in a religious supernova and drag me along in some warped sense of respect and duty, sure I'm game.

A rattled sigh escapes me, getting caught in my broken chest cavity and coming out in wheezy gasps. I don't need to breath anymore, but it's more habit than anything else. Something that puts others at ease, I guess. Assures people that I'm not to much of a threat. That I still need something to go on. I still felt pain though. You think that after gaining immortality such a little thing like 'pain' wouldn't be a big deal, but it is.

Needless to say my pain tolerance is ridiculous.

Which is why i'm not screaming like a bitch from all the fractures and muscle tears I currently have.

My eyes finish healing and I can finally take a look around. Not that there's much to see. I mean, there's just ice, wind, icy wind, and sleet. That, and steep cliffs and some weird ass grey whale looking thing burrowing through the ice. Back when there were whales that is. My chest snaps back in place just as a giant blue humanoid walks up to me carrying a blue spear. He takes one look at my... pitiful state, shall we say, and stabs me in the head.

My vision is gone again, not that I care.

I'm really getting tired of this.

Laufey POV

The... Thing before me let out an annoyed sigh as I stabbed it to save it from further misery. Its entire body was mangled beyond recognition, and what little that was recognizable screamed warrior, and thus needed to die. But it didn't die. So I stabbed it again. A single green eye, a color I had only seen on Earth, blinked at me from the ground. A pop sounded as the bones of its' jaw snapped in place.

"Are you done stabbing me? I can assure you it won't work." It said, its voice sounding garbled from its torn throat, but I could tell there was an undernote of commanding beauty to it. I blinked at the creature in disbelief and stabbed it again.

"Sigh... I'll take that as a no. Well, have at it till you get bored. I guess." The thing said.

And so I did.

A little time passed, and if anyone were to look at King Laufey of Jotunheim at that moment they would've thought him insane. After all, stabbing an obviously dead body has no point.

"You done now?" the thing asked as I sat down to breath. It wouldn't die no matter what I did to it. I tried burning, stabbing, and freezing. Its body just reformed from whatever state it was in. Its body, now that it was givven some time, resembled a human of rather petite poportions. It wasn't even six feet tall! Its white skin was covered in scars, a particularly strange one that resembled a lightning rune almost covered by its long pitch black hair on its forehead. I stared at it, and it stared at me with black and green eyes.

Its eyes really were strange. They were just so _green._ And those strange black lines coming out of the pupil...

"Do you mind telling me where I am?" the Thing asked.

"What are you?" I asked it instead. The thing raised a slender arched eyebrow at me, and turned motionless as it stared at me with those unnerving green eyes.

"I'm Death's Master." The Thing said. "And I'm not a thing. I guess you could say my species was a brand of human, but they're all gone now. Have been for a while."

I stared at it, and laughed. There was absolutely no way this puny _human _could be anything but a weakling.

At least I thought that until I found myself suspended in the air. The thrill of the fight burst through me, and I tried turn to stab at the little human, but I could only move enough to look at the human. Its unnerving eyes were glowing and a terrifying smirk lay upon its face.

"You need proof right?"

And everything turned dark.

**AN: And that's it for the prolouge. This will be a multi-chapter fic, but as school's almost out updates shouldn't be a problem. If you have any advice please post a review with it. This will be eventual yaoi, so if you don't like that sort of thing leave now.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: See prolouge**

**Chapter 1**

Jotunheimr isn't exactly a friendly place, what with a war based community and the fact that everyone wanted to kill everyone for one reason or another. But, let it not be said that they're stupid. If they see their leader carrying someone on their shoulders with the fear of death etched onto his face, they'll get that that person isn't someone you want to fuck with. Which is what was happening by the way.

Shade, as Laufey had learned the creature was called, had killed him. He didn't die at th end of a weapon, but as the thought of a human. The human had wanted him to die, and he had. No blood, no pain, just one second there, the next gone. And then he'd been brought back. Literally slapped back into his body like it never happened. And this tiny human had done that. And now it wouldn't shut up, and Laufey was too scared to tell it to.

What was it talking about now? He really should listen. It could be some really valueable secret to the universe or something.

"And so they fucking dropped me here! Can you believe it? I mean, I do everything i'm supposed to do, perfectly mind you, and they literally drop me here. Literally! Who does that? Fucking rude..."

Okay, not secrets of the universe, but how he got here.

"...Who dropped you here again?" Laufey asked hesitantly. It wouldn't be a good idea to die again after all.

"Fate, Life, and Death! And i'm Death's boss too! What servant does that? Do you know a servant who does that?" Shade raved before turning to Laufey.

Laufey sputtered from the sudden attention, but calmed down enough to think about it. Come to think of it, what servant did do something like that? No one here that's for sure.

"No." Laufey said.

The humans' eyes lit up at his agreement, and Laufey found himself thinking that maybe the human wouldn't be so bad. As long as he didn't kill him again of course. And then Laufey found himself thinking that it would be terrible, as Shades' mouth began running a mile a minute. After he heard something about living through a supernova and extending a vacation in the same sentence he stopped listening and just let the chatter run over him.

The room that the Human... thing hadrun into when he jumped off of Laufey's shoulder was rather large. Laufey thought about telling the human to leave, as it wasn't his place to pry about, but he wouldn't want to offend the... What had the human called himself during his endless chatter? A Domina? Yeah, that was it. He wouldn't want to offend the Domina and bring a plague upon his people or something just as awful. The human began to explore, poking a the occasional expertly placed weapon or odd trinket.

The room was a dark, almost black, blue with white ice swirling through it. The windows cut out of the ice let through a perfect view of the high peaks and sharp drops of the city. The war with Odin had taken a toll on the city despite its beauty. Some of the tall peaks were crumbling, and the sky was always darker than it usually was this time of year.

Laufey continued to stare out of the window, and Shade watched the... What were they called? Frost Giants, his mind supplied. And Shade once again found himself thanking the endless stream of information that ran through his mind. Being Master of Death did have advantages after all. Still, to think so many people wanted his position over his years...

Back to the Frost Giant. Laufey continued to stare out of the ridiculously large window and Shade watched the red numbers above his head tick down. With a smile that could be a smirk Shade realized the Giant had a very long life ahead him, if he played his cards right. He had gotten rather attached to the Giant, mainly because the Giant didn't complain when he talked. Shade knew Laufey wasn't listening though. And he didn't expect him to.

He hadn't had anyone new to talk to in over 3,000 years, so pardon him the rare pleasure of new company. Shade stared at Laufey, beginning to get lost down memory lane himself, when he heard a baby cry. Laufey's gaze ripped away from the window, heading off toward the cry, and his lifespan dropped 500 years. Laufey picked up a small child, bigger than normal humans but to small for a giant Shade noticed, and held it.

A grimace ripped across his face, and his lifespan dropped another 12 years. Shade gave an impressed whistle, and Laufey turned toward him. The grimace remained on his face, but one of his almost nonexistent eyebrows raised in silent question. Shade gave a dark, amused laugh.

"I have seen some Dead Drops in my time, but none as bad as that! That was one of the biggest Dead Drop I've seen in a long time. Tell me, what did you decide?" He said. Laufey stared at the Domina before voicing a hesitant question. Whatever a Dead Drop was, it didn't sound good for him.

"I just decided to leave this runt out to die in the snow, as is the custom. What is a Dead Drop?" Shade gave a bark of amusement and rubbed one of his eyes, revealing a light Sowilo scar. Laufey tensed when he saw it, and Shade explained.

"First, a Dead Drop is a term used in the Under, Over, or whatever you call the realm of the Dead here, to explain a large downward flux in lifespan. It's used as kind of a joke because it signifies a much closer time the person will 'drop dead', and have their soul taken. Yours, my new friend, just dropped 512 years. Apparently, this kid survives and comes back to kill you. That'd be my guess anyway.

And as for the scar, don't worry about it. It was given to me by an enemy, and that's not a good thing. He's dead now, but he gave me a hell of a time."

Laufey felt a moment of pity for the human, but then his mind caught up with what he had first said, and his eye twitched in disbelief. He was going to die 512 years earlier if he left the child to die? But it was just a runt! A runt couldn't possibly beat him, could it?...

"Have you considered," Shade asked suddenly. Laufey looked at him, panic starting to pool in his eyes.

"that the reason the child is a runt is because of his half breed heritage? Humans, as you can see, are smaller than Giants."

"How did you know that?" Laufey asked. Shade turned back to the window and an unreadable expression, somewhere between sadness and pity, carved his face as he smiled.

"I just know these things." He said quietly. There was obviously a story behind that, but Laufey got the feeling Shade wouldn't answer. So he let it go. It wouldn't do to anger someone with power. He'd much prefer this..._Master of Death_ as an ally. Laufey watched the Domina for a few long moments before Shade sent him a narrowed eyed look. It made his eyes gain an ethereal glow, proving that he wasn't as weak as his puny body would suggest.

_'Well?'_ The look seemed to say. _' Make your choice.'_

And so Laufey did, setting the child down back into the makeshift crib. What the hell was he going to do about this now? If word got around that his seed had brought about a runt, with a human no less, he could lose the throne.

Shade noted with some amusement that Laufey had gained back 312 years to his lifespan. He looked over to the child, now suckling on his hand, and saw the child morph into an almost perfect copy of him. A red shadow figure began to hover over the child, and a toothy grin spread over his face. He recognized him! On of the funniest people... things...spirits that he knew. So he picked this one' eh? Maybe he'd take the kid in.

Shade then burst out laughing, pointing at Laufey who was getting angry at all the secretive smiles, as his lifespan grew another 400 years.

Shade decided he was going to like his time here.

**AN: Heya! First actual chapter over 1,000 words. I feel like a winner! Anyway, I forgot to mention that this is gonna be a mega crossover. Like I said before, this is yaoi, homosexual, whatever you wanna call it, but Shade will not be with Laufey. Reviews make me post faster. Also, this will be the last chapter with the slash warning. If I get any flames because of it, it's your own fault for not reading the AN.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: See prolouge. **

**Chapter 2**

_**7 Years Later**_

Loki Shadeson knew that he was different from all the other Frost Giants, but he didn't really care. He may not have been as tall, or as strong, but he didn't care about that. Why be tall when you can be small and sneak around after all? And why be strong when you're fast enough to run circles around your opponent? All those big muscles the other kids prided themselves on came with a price after all.

Other things differed as well. Like the fact that he was adopted by the resident Domina (whatever that was), and didn't know who his parents were. Father (as he called said Domina. After all, Shade was the one who raised him...) wouldn't tell him who his parents were, but had told him he was a half breed. He could use magic, and he could shape-shift. All of this put distance between him and what few other children there were. They had even bullied him for a while before Father had given him some tips to set them straight.

_Flashback_

_2 Years Ago_

"_You called me Father?" I said as I entered the large room. I hated it there. The ice of the room was pitch black, and the only light came from the one window the room had. There was no bed, only a desk piled high with papers written in many strange languages. Pictures of many species hung on the walls, all of them with Father. The oldest had been repaired many times with magic, and even then I'd been told it wasn't the original._

_He was sitting at the desk, like he usually was, reading over the piles of paper. Several stacks floated through out the air, waiting for his signature. He gathered up a bundle of papers, stacked them so they were even, and set them down. He looked to me and crossed his fingers._

"_You're being bullied." He said. His voice was hard, and held no emotion. Would he kill me? Abandon me to die? He'd assured me many times that he wouldn't, but it never soothed my concerns. I only had your wits to help me after all, and they never really did._

_I hesitantly nodded. It wouldn't do to lie to him. I had learned early on that he could always tell somehow. He sighed and closed his eyes. I waited, but after a minute I started to edge out of the room. This was not a conversation I wanted to have._

_I were almost in the all clear. What could I do to pass time until he forgot? I couldn't leave the castle, but maybe I could-_

"_Where do you think you're going?"_

_Crap._

_Father levitated me back in the room, and looked me in the eye. I swallowed nervously. Was he going to do that thing where he made me tell him what was wrong even thoough I didn't want to? He continued to stare at me and wait._

_And wait._

_And wait._

_Yeah he was. Maybe I could trick him into letting me go?_

"_Not gonna happen. Tell me what's wrong." He said. I groaned and crossed my arms and legs, swinging around in the air to turn my back to him. It wasn't fair when he read my mind, and he knew it! He laughed, and I could imagine his thrown back head and wide smiling mouth. I smiled, then gathered my courage. Why did things like this have to be so hard?_

"_The other children think that because I'm... small I can't fight. And I... I think they're right." I said. Father turned me around and smiled at me. The fear I had felt melted away at the sight. He brought me forward and hugged me._

"_Well then," He began._

"_Let's prove them, and you, wrong."_

_End Flashback_

It'd been 2 years since then, and he'd learned quite a bit. His magic prowess made up for what he was missing in the physical. The bullies, after he'd 'beaten the ever living shit ' (Father's words) out of the leader, had left him alone, and eventually respected him. Except for the leader of course. Loki didn't care much for the leader though. He was a jerk.

Currently, Loki was perched on one of the many towers in Jotunheimr overlooking the city. They'd be having some guests today, and he wanted to be the first to catch sight of them. The sky lit up brightly at the edge of the city, and Loki sheilded his eyes. A rainbow of bright light fell from the clouds and touched the ground with a large bang.

The light faded, and Loki searched for the visitors that Father had told him about. He changed to the winged snake that he still didn't have a name for, and flew down to see who was there. Two blond people stood next to each other. One of them he recognized. Odin, the Asgardian, who had taken his Uncle Laufey's eye. The other he didn't know the name of. He looked to be the same age as him. Maybe he was Odin's son? He did have a son right? What was his name again?

Loki landed in front of the two Asgardians and changed back to his Jotun form. He waved.

"Hi! I'm Loki Shadeson. You're the guests that we're supposed to have right?" He said. The son seemed a little put off by his appearance. Meh, screw him then. Odin, on the other hand, didn't.

"You are the son of our host?" He asked. Loki nodded, and turned to walk into the city. The Asgardians followed him slowly.

"I'm adopted though. Father says that I was to be abandoned to die, but he persuaded my real father not to kill me. He took me in. I don't think he realizes what exactly he did though."

"Why is that?" Odin asked. Loki gave him a confused look from over his shoulder.

"Because he took in a runt. Every time we go to market we get weird looks. No one says anything of course. Father, although small, is _way _stronger than any of the Giants here. Even King Laufey!"

"Do you know why Shade wanted to talk to my son and I?" Odin asked. Loki led them into the castle and to his father's door before smiling.

"I've not a clue. Something to do with Ragnarok, I think?" He said. The door opened by itself, not a light to be found. A low voice invited the two inside. Odin, grim faced, drew his weapon and entered. The son went to do the same, but Odin told him to stay put. The door shut behind him.

Loki watched the door for a bit, then turned to the son who was also watching the door. He turned to leave, but the son's voice stopped him.

"My father is going to beat your father into the ground." Loki smiled and continued to walk.

"I doubt that. Father is the best at everything he does."

"I bet he's not."

"He is."

"Nuh uh!"

"Ya huh!"

Loki decided, as the kid moved to follow him despite Odin's orders, that he was either going to really like, or really hate him. Later on, when the kid, who was apparently named Thor, proclaimed that magic was for girls only, and was he a girl he couldn't tell, that he was really going to hate this kid. He was thankful Thor wouldn't be around often.

He would later discover there was nothing to be thankful for.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer: See Prolouge. Do I seriously have to put this every chapter?**_

**AN: Now that I can get to a computer I should be updating more often. If I don't, then I'm suffering from either a plot bunny infestation, or the disease known as procrastination. On to my apparently confusing story!**

'thought'

_'telepathy'_

"Loooookkkkiiiiii!"

'No. Please no. Please don't let him be back again.' A blur of blonde hair ran past my line of vision. The loud echo of feet against ice signaled my doom.

'Crap, he's back!'

I rushed through the halls of the castle, being carefull not to jostle the bag on my back or drop the books in my hands. Why did Thor keep coming here?! There was absolutely no reason for him to! Ever since the meeting between Father and Odin and year ago Thor started coming here. It wasn't so bad at first, but then he started coming twice a week just to mess with me.

He'd call me a girl and try to get me to fight him with swords! He would never leave me alone! All I wanted to do was study in peace! Was that to much to ask? As I turned the corner I bumped into what felt like a wall and fell to the ground. My books and parchment scattered everywhere, and I quickly started to gather them up. I needed to get to my room before Thor found me.

"Loki! It is good to see you again, my friend!" Thor was who I bumped into... It just had to be Thor I bumped into!

"Come. I have people I wish you to meet!" Thor said (shouted), and then proceeded to grab me by the arm and drag me away. I sighed in dismay. Once he had me there was no getting away. I couldn't phase through solids yet, and my replacement clones were still see through. I would have to practice harder if I was to avoid him.

He dragged me through the curving halls and into the banquet hall where three Asgardian children sat. They looked at me strangely, and I gave a half hearted wave. The blond kid waved back, and I smiled slightly. Thor set me down and put his hands out in a placating gesture. He edged around me toward his friends.

"Don't run, okay?" He said.

Oh god I feel a headache coming on. Instead of snapping at him that no, I wasn't going to run, he would find me anyway, I instead rolled my eyes and sighed. The other children seemed put off by my display, and the big red head grunted disdainfully. I sized him up and saw that there were food stains in his clothes. I looked him in the eyes, and then away dismissively. The third kid simply watched me, so I watched him. I barely resisting the urge to shout, "Staring contest, go!"

"I know you would prefer to be locked in your room with your scrolls and parchment, but I wanted you to meet my friends. These are the Warriors Three. They have bested just as many in combat as I have." Thor said. I sighed again. I would prefer to just leave, but there are social niceities to uphold. The blond kid stepped forward.

"I am Fandral!" I shook his hand. The red head stepped up.

"I am Hogun." Yeah, not shaking his hand. Now for the black haired kid.

"I am called Volstagg." This lucky kid gets a welcoming handshake and an approving nod!

"Nice to meet you all. I am Loki Shadeson." I said. Then I turned to leave. Social standard upheld, I'm gone. At least I would have been gone if Hogun hadn't grabbed the back of my shirt. Causing me to choke. I really don't like Asgardians.

"Where are you going Frost Giant? Thor promised us that you would spar. Where is your weapon?" He said. I glared at Thor. He smiled an apology. You know what? I can work with this.

_'Father.'_

_'Yes Loki?'_

_'I'm going to cause trouble. Cover for me if I get caught?'_

_'Of course. I quite enjoy your pranks, after all. Reminds me of friends long past.'_

_'Thanks. Bye!'_

I end the conversation before he goes on one of his depressed tirades. I get it. He's waaaayyyy old. I don't need to hear about all the people he outlived every time I talk to him though. The red head, Hoggie, or was it Hogun, yanked my collar again to get my attention. This... This was going to be fun.

**Shades POV**

I tied yet another thread of energy to the Scissors of Ending. To others I would have been signing a paper, and it would have been correct in a sense. That's all the Threads ever looked like to other people. Papers and ink. It was kind of funny, in an ironic way actually. Here I was, bringing about the birth and death of everything, and people just see and overworked office man. Well, would have seen. This universe seemed to have no concept of paperwork. At least, not yet.

They were due for paperwork in another two hundred and seventy eight years though. The stress would kill exactly two hundred people in the first year. That was how many I wrote down anyway. Taking another Thread, I cut it with the Scissors of Doom. The golden string quickly turned black and withered away. It would have looked like I was shreading a paper.

This was what I did when I wasn't taking care of Loki, getting groceries, or talking to the Firsts. Working. Ending universes according to Father Times dark matter schedule, giving Death the number of people she needed to kill per world, and dealing with all the prophecy bullshit Fate gave me. Lazy bitch... I could not do it, but I don't know what would happen if I did. No, better to work.

_'Father.'_

Oh. Loki was contacting you. What did he want? The stream going through my mind only gave info on species, life span, and things in that area. You could know everything, but it was just so boring that way. That, and the headaches were horrible.

_'Yes Loki?'_

_'I'm going to cause trouble. Cover for me if I get caught?'_

I smiled. Things like this always made me happy. I couldn't remember half the names of all the pranksters I had known, and their souls had long since been recycled. They were gone. But I did remember how lively they were. I'm glad he's going down this road. There's a nagging in my head again. I'm forgetting something, but what else is new? Something about a large, black dog? That was a trickster with a deer and wolf? Whatever.

_'Of course. I enjoy your pranks, after all. Reminds me of friends long past.'_

_'Thanks. Bye!'_

I sighed. He really should be careful. He has to know that I have to stop covering for him eventually. Oh well. He still has time. Plenty of time if Chaos had anything to say about it. He did choose Loki after all. At birth no less! Even I had to go through trials.

I tune in to Loki's Life String and watch the events unfold. The shade of Chaos itself still lingers behind him.

…..Yeah. He's got plenty of time.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Finally, an update! Sorry I took so long guys. Like I said on my profile, my internet went out. I finally have my internet back, thank god! I don't know when I'll be updating this story after this one since this story is going in no particular direction. I have several key points but the way to get there is completely open. Enjoy the chapter!**

Traveling Anywhere

Deal With It

Loki's POV

My scream was sudden, and it surprised me. I hadn't meant to scream. I never scream. I didn't scream when startled. I didn't scream when scared. I didn't even scream when I got a particularly deep cut from Father's scythe when training.

I supposed I was scared. Or maybe it was shock. I didn't quite know. I mean, how does one react when they suddenly turn into a girl and can't change back?

Father had rushed into the room, scythe in hand, only to find me in the middle of my room, shaking. After checking to see if anyone was hiding in the room he laid his weapon down on the ground. It disappeared silently to only he knew where. He walked over to me slowly, his face calm.

"Loki, tell me what happened. Tell me however slowly you want to." His voice was soothing. I felt my shaking lessen. As long as he was here I would be fine. Father would fix this. He always fixed whatever went wrong.

"I…I was practicing my shape shifting." I started. He nodded slowly and took my hands, sitting me down on the ice. He then sat with me, looking me in the eyes.

"Okay." He said.

"A-and I was trying to turn into an ox. I-I'd been having trouble w-with it. You see…" I stammered. He nodded again, his face still neutral. He pulled me toward him and held me to his chest. His heartbeat was calm, and strong. My own racing heart slowed.

"Go on." He said.

"B-but something went wrong. I…" I swallowed. "I turned into a girl!" I whispered. "And I can't change back!" I waited for him to say something, anything. I waited for him to reprimand me for practicing alone, that it was my fault.

"Well, then I can tell you that this isn't unnatural." He said. I felt my mind screech to a halt. What? I pulled back from him in shock.

"Huh?! Isn't unnatural?! Father, I turned into a GIRL!" I screeched. I flinched at the pinch of my voice. Gods it was annoyingly high.

"Yes, I understand you turned into a girl. May I remind you that you're a Shifter. It's not unusual for a shifters to gain a form of the opposite gender. Some even gain forms that are a mix of both." He said. I couldn't understand. What was the point then? Who was in charge among shifters if everyone was both genders? Why would magic make that happen? My confusion must have shown because Father answered my mental questions.

"Gender roles aren't for every society, nor are they needed for every society. Many civilizations worked perfectly fine without them, including my own. And besides, I think it would be cool to be both genders. I mean, you could get into practically every bar for free. Free drinks too. And just imagine the opportunities to ogle people! You could look at anyone without being called a pervert!"

His attempt at cheering me up failed miserably and I laid my head on his shoulder. Nuzzling into his neck, his long hair covering my forehead, I tried to draw some comfort.

"Father, please try to be serious." I murmured. He laughed, and the sound reverberated through the room. His arms wrapped around my back and held me close. I felt tears come to my eyes. How would the other Jotun see this? How would the warriors see this? How would Thor see this the next time he visited?

"Okay Loki. Okay. I'll be serious." He said. A small amount of warmth relaxed my tense shoulders as he rubbed circles on my back. "If it makes you feel any better you won't be stuck like this forever."

"I won't?" I questioned quietly.

"No. Most likely just until you're comfortable with the form." He answered.

"But why?" I asked.

"Dunno." Father answered. "Magic's funny like that. Who knows? Maybe there's something you're supposed to do with this form. Then again maybe not. You could just have it because of your Shifter heritage." I felt myself nodding. That made sense. I guess. I… I guess I'll just have to deal with it.

"Does this change anything?" I asked. Father pulled back a little to look me in the eyes. He seemed surprised, his left eyebrow raised slightly.

"Of course it doesn't change anything. You're still my kid, gender changing powers or not." I felt relief flow through me. He wouldn't leave me like the others said he would. Good. That was… good.

About a week had passed since my… transformation. Needless to say, it was horrible. It was… Really really bad. The other Jotun didn't seem to care much, but it wasn't the social changes that got to me. No, it was the clothes.

"Father, how do I get this piece of clothing off of me again?!" I shouted into the hall. Dresses, how the hell did women wear these?! I struggled to get the offending dark purple garment over my head, and failed. The cloth had caught me. Again. My arms were above my head, and I couldn't see anything. My new… undergarments were on full display and I couldn't move. I figured that if I jumped head first into my new role, then I would get used to it faster.

I heard footsteps coming and tried to back up. There was no way I would let anyone see me in this embarrassing position! I tried to back up, but apparently luck was not on my side, as I promptly tripped and fell.

"You know, I could just make you a shirt and jeans." I heard father say from where the door would be. If I could see through the damn dress!

"Please. I would rather not look like a fool in front of my friends." I said. The footsteps started again and I was lifted to my feet. The dress was pulled from my arms easily and I gaped in shock. How in the..?

"How did you? That thing was... Tell me the secret now." I said. That thing was impossible and he just took it off. There has to be a trick to it. There has to be. Father smiled as he examined the material, rubbing his fingers over the fabric.

"No tricks needed. Just a lot of practice." He said. He then ran his right hand over the length of the dress and it separated into two pieces. Those two pieces then morphed into a dark purple shirt and dark purple jeans. I frowned at the color of the jeans. I was not wearing that when I met with Thor…

Father saw my look and poked the jeans with his index finger. They promptly turned black, and I smiled. That was a lot better. He held the clothes in front of me, checking their size, and I held my arms out accordingly. He smiled again.

"Perfect. Glad to know I can still do that right." He said before handing the clothes to me. I quickly put them on, and they were a perfect fit. I moved to leave with a quick backwards thank you but Father stopped me.

"Loki, I want you back by nine." He said. I nodded before continuing on my way, passing Uncle Laufey in the corridor.

I ran as fast as I could, I was already late, but stopped when I reached the door to the courtyard. How would Thor react? I had worried about it the entire week, and now the moment was here. Would he not want to be friends anymore? What would Volstagg, Fandral, and Hogun think? I shook my head to clear my thoughts. There was no point in worrying about something I couldn't change.

I took a deep breath and opened the door. The outside had looked like it always did. Windy, cold, and gray, but the four standing in the middle of the courtyard put a smile to my face. They really had become great friends. Sparring was always fun, and occasionally they would let me teach them the theory behind magic, and how it was not a women's practice alone.

I walked out into the large yard and they turned to me. I waved in greeting and they looked confused. My fear mounted as I stopped before them.

"Hello Thor, Volstagg, Hogun, and Fandral." I greeted. They glanced to each other before looking back to me.

"Hello." Thor greeted back. "Who are you?" I nearly face palmed. Of course they wouldn't recognize me!

"Um… It's me Thor. It's Loki Shadeson." I said. Their faces blanked for a moment before the Volstagg spoke.

"Ah, so you have chosen to take the form of a girl…" I nervously shook my head. The Warriors Three seemed confused so I explained.

"Um… I'm kinda trapped in this form. You see i-

"Ah! So you have failed one of your spells and now you can't change back! I have told you before Loki, leave the spells to the women. But did you listen to me dear friend? No! And now you are stuck like this." Thor interrupted. The Warriors Three nodded behind him, and I rubbed the bridge of my nose. Why did I stay with these people?

"Thor."

"I do hope this change is not a permanent one."

"Thor…"

"Perhaps we can help you find a way to change back? Maybe with a potion?"

Thor!"

"Yes, this shall be our newest quest!"

"THOR!"

"What is it Loki?"

"If you hadn't interrupted me, I would have told you that this is a natural occurrence." All of them seemed confused, and slightly horrified.

"How in the All Father's name is someone changing gender a natural occurrence?!" Hogun shouted. I blinked and took a little time to sooth my now aching ears. Who knew he could get so loud?

"Father said that there's either something I'm meant to do with this form, or it's because of my shifter heritage. Either way, it's normal for this to happen. I'll be able to change back when I'm comfortable with the form, but until then I'm stuck like this." I said.

The four seemed unsatisfied with my answer, but they let it go. I mentally sighed in relief. That actually went better than I thought it would. Thor put his arm around my shoulder and started hauling me off to the training grounds. The others quickly followed, just as eager as Thor was.

"I hope your transformation hasn't affected your sword arm, my friend!" Thor exclaimed. I rushed ahead of him and for a moment he seemed surprised. I swirled around to face him, and smiled.

"Well? Come on! I'm actually excited at the idea of swords for once! Hurry up!" I shouted before rushing away to the training grounds. For some reason, it took him quite a bit longer to get there. And, when he did, his face was red and he avoided my eyes.

Of course, how could I know that at that moment, Thor was thinking about how pretty my smile made me? Or, that he really should make me smile more.

**Meanwhile, with Laufey**

I listened as the being that I had come to respect and see as a brother ripped my life apart.

"What do you mean you're leaving? How... how could you leave? What about Loki?" I asked. Shade only raised an eyebrow in response. I felt stab through me like a dagger to the ribs. "You're taking him with you."

"Of course I'm taking him with me. He's my son!" Shade scoffed. He signed another paper, and corrected another. Even as he spoke to me about something so serious he never stopped working.

"But he's my son too! Don't I have a right to watch him grow up?" I said. My voice was bordering on desperate, but this was important.

"You really should've thought about that before you gave him to me. Besides, it's not like we're leaving anytime soon. I still have work to do here, things to correct. And Loki still isn't comfortable with his new form. Until that happens we're staying here." He said. His fingers gently stroked one of the papers in the air and he watched it sadly. I tried to speak, to say something, but my throat felt like it was swollen shut.

"I want you tell him." He said.

"What are you talking about?" I asked. Finally, a subject change. I actually thought I was going to cry for a second.

"I want you to tell him that you're his real father. Once we leave I don't know when we'll be coming back. Or if we'll be coming back at all. It's best he knows before he leaves." He said, and everything inside me stopped.

"What? I-I mean… how? No. No. I won't do that. Why won't you do it?"

"Like you said, he's your son too. This is something you need to do. I should be done with everything in two years. You have until then to tell him."

"What if Loki isn't okay with his form by that time limit?" I asked.

"Then we move. Not to another dimension like we were talking about before, but to another plane within this dimension. Asgard has been very welcoming since that conversation I had with Odin." I swallowed and bowed my head.

"Two years huh?" Shade smiled sadly at me, but I could see his pity was fake. His face was kind, but his eyes were deader than the void. I doubt he really felt any remorse for what he just said. I doubt he really felt anything sometimes.

I stood and left the room. As the door to his room closed behind me I felt something roll down my cheek. With a laugh I realized it was a tear. My son was going to leave soon… I really should have just kept him with me when I had the chance.

Who cares if he was small? He still became a damn good warrior! Of course, that was only because of Shade. Shade was gentle when teaching, patient. I was… neither of those things.

I did the right thing when I gave Loki to Shade. I just really wish I hadn't.


End file.
